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Max Verstappen has reflected on his role in bringing Formula 1 back to Zandvoort, saying that the achievement remains a permanent part of his legacy regardless of the event's upcoming conclusion. The four-time world champion, who won three of the first four races at the revived Dutch Grand Prix, spoke in a new Viaplay documentary about the significance of the event and what its return has meant for the sport beyond the Netherlands.
The Dutch Grand Prix will hold its final race later this month, ending a four-year run that began in 2021. The decision to end the event was made by organisers themselves, rather than being imposed by Formula 1's commercial rights holder or the FIA. Verstappen's comments reveal a driver at peace with the decision, but determined to claim ownership of what was achieved during the circuit's brief modern tenure.
"I think what happened there is incredibly special, that I was able to be part of it and that we managed to win a few of them," Verstappen said in the documentary 'Dutch GP: Tegen alle verwachtingen in' (Dutch GP: Against All Odds). "That's something absolutely nobody can take away from us."
Verstappen's understanding of the commercial reality
What stands out in Verstappen's tone is the absence of bitterness. He acknowledged the organisers' reasons for ending the event without elaborating on them, an approach that suggests he has been briefed on the financial and logistical pressures that made continuing the race untenable. Zandvoort's compact layout and limited infrastructure have long been cited as obstacles to long-term sustainability on the F1 calendar, despite the event's undeniable atmosphere.
"I understand the reasons behind it," Verstappen said. "In the end, we had some very beautiful years there. Nobody ever expected this." His framing positions Zandvoort not as a missed opportunity, but as a bonus chapter in his career and in Dutch motorsport history.
A template for other grands prix
Verstappen went further, suggesting that Zandvoort's model of fan engagement and event presentation has influenced other races on the calendar. "I think many grands prix have learned from this, and they are adapting things about the experience of a race weekend," he said. "That's only a positive."
The claim carries weight. Zandvoort's festival-style atmosphere, intimate fan zones and sold-out crowds became a case study in how to create demand for a grand prix in an era when several traditional European events have struggled with attendance and relevance. Whether other promoters have genuinely adopted Zandvoort's approach or simply observed it is harder to verify, but Verstappen's belief that the event left a lasting imprint on F1's promotional strategy is telling.
The McLaren defeats that dented the fairy tale
Verstappen won the first three Dutch Grands Prix in 2021, 2022 and 2023, but was beaten in 2024 by Lando Norris and again this year by Oscar Piastri. Both defeats came as McLaren emerged as Red Bull's primary challenger, and both still resulted in podium finishes for the Dutchman. The losses do not appear to weigh heavily on him, at least publicly, but they do complicate the narrative of Zandvoort as Verstappen's personal domain.
That Verstappen chose to emphasise the wins rather than the defeats in his documentary comments suggests he views the Zandvoort chapter through the lens of legacy, not recent form. For a driver who has now won four consecutive world championships, two home race defeats in the twilight of the event's existence are unlikely to alter how the project is remembered. What remains is the fact that Formula 1 returned to the Dutch dunes at all, and that Verstappen was the central reason it happened.
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